What Model UN Means to Me
By Eden Shaw, 2021 Student Secretary-General of UNA-NCA’s Spring Model UN Conference | Cabin John Middle School
What MUN Means to Me: True Passion
True passion. What people seek, long for, and stride to discover. True passion drives people to encounter successes as well as failures. It’s the driving force behind every decision, dream, and hope. Some go their whole lives without finding their true passion, while others, like me, find it early on.
Going into the Model UN club, I thought it would be easy. However, thanks to the guidance of my MUN club advisors, Lata Durbhakula, Audré Park, and Pavani Dhurbakula, I learned that MUN is the opposite of easy. MUN is rather an educational, exciting, and challenging simulation of real world issues that need to be addressed. MUN is so much more than just an excellent public speaking opportunity. Through MUN, I realized that the solutions I came up with could one day be the answer to the world’s most pressing matters. I learned that while it is vital to stand up for what you believe in, there is always room for compromise, and that peace is always the best of all solutions. I am learning to approach conflicts from all angles, for everyone has different opinions and motives.
MUN has helped shape the person that I am today, and has taught me multiple life-lessons along the way. It has instilled within me excellent problem solving skills as well as the ability to effectively collaborate, two fundamental life skills. Additionally, MUN has taught that no matter what my age is, I can make a difference. Growing up, the thought of making a difference in the world was intimidating. I thought that it was silly of me to even try since I was just a kid. However, MUN has taught me that you don’t need to change the world to make an impactful difference, and that every small change and effort towards a better world is a step in the right direction. My passion for MUN pushes me to make a difference in the world around me regardless of my age. It was through MUN that I learned about Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg, two of my idols who have made an impact on our world as teens, as well as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whom I have always looked up to.
My MUN experiences have given me newfound appreciation for simple but effective acts, such as cleaning up litter and donating cans of food to homeless shelters. MUN has opened my eyes to the unfortunate phenomenon that take place around us, and how one miscalculated decision can impact everyone involved, and even those who aren’t. MUN has helped me realize and understand that my actions affect not only me, but in some cases my whole community, and that we must always think before we act, for our actions can have long lasting impacts on our world, both positive and negative. MUN has been the most rewarding activity that I have ever taken part in. MUN is my true passion.
